We hear a constant refrain about inadequate teachers and bad schools as the cause of an educational crisis in the USA. In the past we more often heard that the kids themselves may be a big part of the problem. The influence of television was debated to the point that the myriad of good reasons not to let young kids grow up on TV became clichés which took them out of the debate.

It seems obvious to me that curiosity is pretty a important factor in the learning process. Young kids have that curiosity filled by the nothing of TV before they learn to look outward for something in the real world. The smart ones learn to read but don’t. Advertisement aimed at them from a young age teach them that style is everything. They are not just sold on style over substance, they are largely unaware that there is such a thing as substance which might be more important than style. The mediocrity of peer pressure becomes a factor.

It seems that far fewer kids take up music with a passion. Young boys don’t build model airplanes, they buy video games. Young men don’t overhaul and soup up their cars, they buy body kits and spoilers to make them look cool. In school, the ones with parental support and pressure to do well aren’t interested in learning, just in making good grades, which a smart kid can do in a setting of mediocrity without learning much.

Of course there are other factors and there are exceptions to the rule but the question is; can we pay teachers enough and build fancy enough schools to make educated, as opposed to trained, adults out of a reasonably high percentage of these kids coming from this culture? And, is there anythig we can do about it?